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Managing Applications and Databases


This chapter describes the files that are associated with Analytic Services and describes operations that you can perform to manage Analytic Services applications, databases, and database objects.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Understanding Applications and Databases

An application is a management structure that contains one or more Analytic Services databases and related files. Analytic Services applications and databases usually reside on the Analytic Server. The server computer can store multiple applications.

An Analytic Services database is a data repository that contains a multidimensional data storage array. A multidimensional database supports multiple views of data so that users can analyze the data and make meaningful business decisions.

Files that are related to Analytic Services databases are called objects. Database objects perform actions against one or more Analytic Services databases, such as defining calculations or reporting against data. By default, objects are stored in their associated database folder on the server. Some objects can also be saved to a client computer or to other available network directories. For a detailed description of how Analytic Services stores files, see Understanding How Analytic Services Files Are Stored.

In Analytic Services, the common types of database objects include the following:

Some of these objects are optional, such as calculation scripts, filters, and linked reporting objects.

For a complete description of each database object, see Understanding Database Objects.

Understanding How Analytic Services Files Are Stored

In order to manage applications and databases, you need to know how Analytic Services stores server, application, database, and database object files. In particular, there are a few key directories that you should know about.

These directories are created under the root directory of the Analytic Services installation (the directory path named by the value of ARBORPATH):

Note: On Windows platforms, these directory names may appear with different case.

For more information about all directories created on the server and for information about platform differences, see the Essbase Analytic Services Installation Guide.

Server Software File Types

This table lists the types of Analytic Services files that are stored in the \essbase\bin directory:


Table 38: Analytic Services File Types in the \essbase\bin Directory

File Extension
Description

bak

Backup of security file

bnd

Microsoft ODBC file for SQL Interface installation using a DB2 database

cfg

Analytic Server configuration file

cnt

Online help contents file

cpl

Microsoft ODBC driver for Windows platforms

dll

Microsoft Windows Dynamic Link Library

eqd

Query Designer files

exe

Executable file

hlp

Online help file

lck

Lock file

lic

License information file for ODBC

pl

Sample Perl script

pm

Perl Module

mdb

Message database file

sec

Security file

sl

HP-UX shared library file

so

Solaris shared library file

xll

Spreadsheet Add-in for Microsoft Excel



Application and Database File Types

The following table lists the file types that Analytic Services uses to store applications, databases, and their related objects.


Table 39: Analytic Services File Types for Applications and Databases  

File Extension
Description

alg

Spreadsheet audit historical information

apb

Backup of application file

app

Application file, defining the name and location of the application and other application settings

arc

Archive file

atx

Spreadsheet audit transaction

chg

Outline synchronization change file

csc

Analytic Services calculation script

db

Database file, defining the name, location, and other database settings

dbb

Backup of database file

dbf

dBASE data file

ddb

Partitioning definition file

ddm

Temporary partitioning file

ddn

Temporary partitioning file

esm

Analytic Services kernel file that manages pointers to data blocks, and contains control information that is used for database recovery

esr

Temporary database root file

esn

Temporary Analytic Services kernel file

ind

Analytic Services index file

inn

Temporary Analytic Services index file

log

Server or application log

lro

Linked reporting object file that is linked to a data cell

lst

Cascade table of contents or list of files to back up

mdx

dBASE multiple index file

mxl

MaxL script file (saved in Administration Services)

ocl

Database change log

ocn

Incremental restructuring file

oco

Incremental restructuring file

olb

Backup of outline change log

olg

Outline change log

otl

Analytic Services outline file

otm

Temporary Analytic Services outline file

otn

Temporary Analytic Services outline file

oto

Temporary Analytic Services outline file

pag

Analytic Services database data (page) file

pan

Temporary Analytic Services database data (page) file

rep

Analytic Services report script

rul

Analytic Services rules file

scr

Analytic Services ESSCMD script

sel

Saved member select file

tct

Analytic Services database transaction control file that manages all commits of data and follows and maintains all transactions

tcu

Temporary database transaction control file

trg

Trigger definition file.XML (Extensible Markup Language) format.

txt

Text file, such as a data file to load or a text document to link as a linked reporting object

xcp

Exception error log

xls

Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file



API File Types

The following table lists the types of Analytic Services files that are stored in the \ARBORPATH\api sub-directories:


Table 40: Analytic Services File Types in the api Directory

File Extension
Description

a

UNIX static library file

bas

Microsoft Visual Basic program source file, containing header definitions for the Analytic Services API

h

C or C++ header file, containing header definitions for the Analytic Services API

lib

C or C++ program library

np

Named Pipes network library

tcp

TCP/IP network library



Managing Applications, Databases, and Database Objects

This section explains how to manage applications, databases, and database objects:

For a description of Analytic Services applications, databases, and database objects, see Understanding Applications and Databases and Understanding Database Objects.

Using the File System to Manage Applications and Databases During Backup

You should not use the platform file system to copy, move, rename, or delete applications and databases. When an application or database is altered through the file system, the Analytic Services security file is unable to recognize the changes. This situation creates a mismatch between what actually exists on the hard drive and what exists according to Analytic Services.

Caution: Do not move, copy, modify, or delete any of these files- essn.ind, essn.pag, dbname.ind, dbname.esm, dbname.tct. Doing so may result in data corruption.

The only time the file system should be used to manage applications and databases is during the backup process, where the entire directory for an application or database is copied and stored elsewhere. For a comprehensive discussion of backups, see Backing Up and Restoring Data.

Certain application and database files can be successfully managed through the file system:

To copy or move an outline file (.otl), you must use Administration Services. For instructions, see "Copying Outlines" in Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Monitoring Applications

Each application that is loaded is an open task or process in the operating system. On Windows platforms, the application is displayed in a command-line window. On UNIX platforms, the application server is a child process of ESSBASE. When the application starts, ESSBASE starts the esssvr process. For more information, see Starting an Application.

On Windows platforms, when an application starts, a new icon is displayed in the task bar. You can double-click the icon to view the server window.

Analytic Server records application-level activities in an application log. For more information, see Using Analytic Services Logs.

To view application activities as they occur, use either of the following methods:


Tool
Instruction

On Windows platforms, use the application-process window

Select the command-line window that bears the name of the application.

UNIX

tail -f logfile



Using Analytic Services to Manage Applications and Databases

This section describes managing applications and databases. It contains the following sections:

Viewing Applications and Databases

When you start Administration Services Console, the Enterprise View tree is displayed in the navigation panel. Enterprise View is a graphical tree view of the Analytic Services environment. It displays the Administration Servers and Analytic Servers that you select. Your view of the Analytic Services environment may look different from that of other administrators.

Applications and databases, and their associated objects, are represented as nodes beneath the Analytic Server node. Objects are grouped into container nodes. For example, individual applications are contained in the Applications node, and databases are contained in the Databases container node. If sample applications and databases are installed with Analytic Server, they appear in Enterprise View along with your organization's applications and databases.

For more information about operating on applications and databases from Enterprise View, see "About Enterprise View" in Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

To create a new application, see "Creating Applications" in the Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Copying or Migrating Applications

You can copy an application to any Analytic Server to which you have appropriate access. You can copy (migrate) an entire application to another Analytic Server, or you can copy an application on the same Analytic Server. For example, you may need to migrate an entire application from a development server to a production server. Or, you may want to copy an application on the same server for testing or for backup purposes.

Analytic Services copies applications differently depending on whether you are copying to the same Analytic Server or to a different Analytic Server. When you migrate applications, you can select the objects to migrate, such as calculation scripts, report scripts, rules files, custom-defined macros and functions, substitution variables, and filters. You can also specify how user and group security is migrated.

Administration Services provides a Migration Wizard that helps you migrate applications. See "Migration Wizard" in Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

To copy an application, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Copying Applications

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

create application as

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

COPYAPP

Technical Reference



Renaming Applications

When you rename an application, the application and its associated directory (essbase\app\appname) are renamed. All objects within the application (for example, databases or calculation scripts) with the same name as the application are not renamed. Before you rename an application, see Rules for Naming Applications and Databases.

To rename an application, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Renaming Applications

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

alter application

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

RENAMEAPP

Technical Reference



Deleting Applications

When you delete an application, all objects within the application are also deleted. The \essbase\app\appname directory and all files located in the directory are deleted.

To delete an application, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Deleting Applications

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

drop application

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

DELETEAPP

Technical Reference



Copying Databases

You can copy a database in an application to any Analytic Server and application to which you have appropriate access. You can copy (migrate) an entire database to another Analytic Server, or you can copy a database on the same Analytic Server. For example, you may need to migrate an entire database from a development server to a production server. Or, you may want to copy a database on the same server for testing or for backup purposes. Analytic Services copies databases differently depending on whether you are copying to the same Analytic Server or to a different Analytic Server. For more information, see "Copying Databases" in Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Administration Services provides a Migration Wizard that helps you migrate applications and databases. See "Migration Wizard" in Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

When you copy a database, all files associated with the database, except data files (.pag and .ind), are copied to the destination application. Before copying, make sure you have enough disk space to contain a full copy of the database and its related files.

To copy a database, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Copying Databases

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

create database as

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

COPYDB

Technical Reference



Renaming Databases

When you rename a database, the database and its associated directory (essbase\app\appname\dbname), and the outline file (.otl) are renamed. All other objects in the database (for example, calculation scripts) with the same name as the database are not renamed.

To rename a database, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Renaming Databases

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

alter database

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

RENAMEDB

Technical Reference



Deleting Databases

When you delete a database, all objects within the database are also deleted. The \essbase\app\appname\dbname directory and all files located in the directory are deleted.

To delete a database, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Deleting Databases

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

drop database

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

DELETEDB

Technical Reference



Using Analytic Services to Manage Objects

This section describes copying, renaming, and deleting objects, such as outlines, calculation scripts, report scripts, rules files, and data sources:

For descriptions of Analytic Services database objects, see Understanding Database Objects.

Caution: The only time the file system should be used to manage applications is during the backup process, where the entire directory for an application or database is copied and stored elsewhere.

Copying Objects

You can copy any database object, except an outline, to another application, database, server, or client location. For instructions on copying outlines, see Creating and Editing Outlines.

To copy an object, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Topics on copying the specific object; for example, Copying a Rules File

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

alter object

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

COPYOBJECT

Technical Reference



Renaming Objects

You can rename any object, except an outline. An outline always has the same name as the database, so you need to rename the database to rename the outline.

To rename an object, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Topics on renaming the specific object; for example, Renaming a Rules File

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

alter object

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

RENAMEOBJECT

Technical Reference



Deleting Objects

You can delete any object, except an outline. An outline is a required part of a database, so you need to delete the database to delete the outline.


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Topics on deleting the specific object; for example, Deleting a Rules File

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

drop object

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

DELETE command for the object to delete

Technical Reference



Locking and Unlocking Objects

Analytic Services uses a check-out facility for database objects to ensure that only one user modifies an object at one time. This section describes how to lock and unlock objects, with the exception of outlines. For information about locking outlines, see Locking and Unlocking Outlines.

Note: Locking objects is not the same as locking data blocks. The Analytic Services kernel handles locking for data blocks, but not for objects. See Data Locks for information about locking data blocks.

By default, whenever you open a database object, Analytic Services prompts you to lock the object. You can change this default behavior for some objects; see "Setting Analytic Services Default Options" in Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

When an object is locked, Analytic Services does not allow other users to save over, rename, or delete the object. You can open a locked object and edit it, but you cannot save over the existing object. If you want to save changes made to a locked object, save the modified object to a different location. You can execute and copy objects that are locked.

Unlocking Objects

You can unlock objects according to your permissions. In Administration Services, you can view all object locks for an Analytic Server, application, or database.

To unlock an object, use any of the following methods:


Tool
Topic
Location

Administration Services

Locking and Unlocking Objects

Essbase Administration Services Online Help

MaxL

alter object

Technical Reference

ESSCMD

UNLOCKOBJECT

Technical Reference



Migrating Applications Using Administration Services

Using Administration Services, you can migrate applications to any Analytic Server to which you have appropriate access, regardless of platform. For example, you may need to migrate an application from a development server to a production server. When you migrate applications, you can select the objects to migrate, such as calculation scripts, report scripts, rules files, custom-defined macros and functions, substitution variables, and filters. You can also specify how user and group security is migrated.

To migrate an application, see "Copying Applications" in the Essbase Administration Services Online Help.

Porting Applications Across Platforms

Analytic Services runs on multiple platforms, including Windows and UNIX. For a list of supported platforms and information on how to install and configure Analytic Services on each platform, see the Essbase Analytic Services Installation Guide.

After you create an application, you may want to port the application to a server that runs a different operating system. This section describes how to port an application to another Analytic Services computer.

Porting Analytic Services applications across servers involves these steps:

  1. Identifying compatible files

  2. Checking file names

  3. Transferring compatible files

  4. Reloading the database

Identifying Compatible Files

If you are porting an Analytic Services application to a server that uses a different operating system, you need to identify which Analytic Services files are compatible with the new operating system.

The following file types are compatible between operating systems:

The following file types are incompatible between operating systems and need to be redefined or reloaded on the new server:

Note: If you are using the Linked Reporting Objects feature, you need to relink any files or cell notes on the new server. For a comprehensive discussion of how linked reporting objects are used, see Linking Objects to Analytic Services Data.

Checking File Names

When transferring files to a UNIX system, you need to be aware of the case of file names. UNIX is a case-sensitive operating system, and files are recognized only if they have the correct case. For example, in certain MaxL and ESSCMD operations, you need to specify a file name, and the file name must be entered with the correct case.

The Analytic Services system files use the following naming conventions on UNIX systems:

Analytic Services files on UNIX systems are capitalized with proper case-the first letter is uppercase, and the remaining letters are lowercase. The following table gives examples of names for different file types:


Table 41: File Naming Examples for UNIX

File Type
Example

Database files

Mydb.db

Data files

Mydb.pag

Index files

Mydb.ind

Outline files

Mydb.otl

Rules files

Atlanta.rul

Data files to load

Atlanta.txt

Calculation scripts

Mycalc.csc

Report scripts

Myrepo.rep

Archive files

Mydb.arc

Application logs

Myapp.log



Note: The application name is an exception to the above rule. The application name can be in lower case.

Table 42 lists several examples of valid and invalid file names on UNIX systems:


Table 42: Valid and Invalid File Names on UNIX

Valid File Names
Invalid File Names

Model.csc

MODEL.CSC

Monthly.rep

Monthly.Rep

Forecast.otl

forecast.otl

Actuals.rul

AcTuAlS.rUl

My_File.txt

My_File.Txt



Note: Analytic Services does not allow long file names for applications, databases, calculation scripts, reports, and other database files. All file names for objects you create must conform to the Windows 8.3 convention.

Transferring Compatible Files

If two servers are connected, you can create the application and database directories on the new server and use either FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or Administration Services to transfer the compatible application files. If the servers are not connected, you need to redefine server information on the new server before reloading the database.

Using FTP to Transfer Files

Using FTP, you can transfer files directly between operating systems. You should transfer only the files that are compatible between operating systems, and you should transfer the files in binary mode.

If you have files with the wrong case on a UNIX server, Administration Services can see these files but cannot open them. After you use FTP to transfer files, you should rename the files on the server to ensure that they are capitalized with proper case. Alternatively, you can use FTP to rename the file when you transfer the file:

ftp>put oldfile Newfile  
 

Using Administration Services to Transfer Files

Using Administration Services, you can transfer files from the client computer to the server in the following ways:

Redefining Server Information

If the server you are porting to is not connected to the existing server, you need to redefine some information on the new server.

To redefine server information, follow these steps:

  1. To create users and specify their permissions, use Administration Services on the new server. For a description of methods, see Granting Permissions to Users and Groups.

  2. To create the applications and databases that you want to port, use Administration Services on the new server. For a comprehensive discussion of how to create applications and databases, see Creating Applications and Databases.

  3. Copy the outline files (.otl) for the databases that you want to port from the old server to the same directory location on the new server. Make sure the application is not running while you copy these files. See Creating and Editing Outlines.

  4. Copy compatible files from the old server to the new server. For lists of compatible and incompatible files, see Identifying Compatible Files.

  5. Reload the database. For a review of the reload process, see Reloading the Database.

Reloading the Database

Database files, such as .db, .pag, .esm, and .ind, are not compatible between operating systems. If you port an application to a server on a different operating system, you need to repopulate the database by reloading the data from a data file and a rules file (if applicable). One way you can reload is to export the data to a text file, transfer the text file to the new server, and then use the text file to load data. After the load is complete, calculate the new database.



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